Statement of Special Interest

A vast house, overwhelming in scale, with a mass of intricate detailing. Commissioned by the 3rd Marquess of Bute (who himself played a fundamental role in its design), Rowand Anderson's Mount Stuart could not have been further from McGill's original Palladian design. Much of the Gothic detailing is thought to derive inspiration from the architect's own publication - "EXAMPLES OF THE MUNICIPAL, COMMERCIAL AND STREET ARCHITECTURE OF FRANCE AND ITALY", 1868, in which Anderson made a series of measured drawings from these foreign secular sources. Mount Stuart's open gallery for example, bears strong affinity with the 14th century houses of Figeac. Towering above the low whitewashed wings, adorned with foliate carving, trefoil-headed openings, oriel windows, decorative wrought-iron and crocketed pinnacles, Mount Stuart's complexity has been tied to that of its commissioner - a solitary figure who converted to Catholicism at the age of 21. Inside, the dominant feature is the hall - a cube within a cube, lined with marble and lit by coloured glass. Throughout, luxury is taken to extremes - note the Horoscope bedroom, star-studded vaulted ceilings, marble chapel and columnar swimming pool. Interestingly, despite the clear advocation of mediaeval principles, Mount Stuart was equipped with the very latest conveniences. Not only was it the first house in Scotland to be lit by electricity, but a system of hot water pipes throughout the structure provided central heating. A telephone cable was installed in 1887 and the very latest plumbing system was serviced by a new waterworks built just 2 miles away. The swimming pool was the first ever heated pool to be contained within a house. Opened to the public June 1995. See separate list entries for other structures within the Mount Stuart estate. The boundary walls, gatepiers and gates are listed with North Lodge.

About Listed Buildings

Listing is the way that a building or structure of special architectural or historic interest is recognised by law through the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings of special architectural or historic interest using the criteria published in the Historic Environment Scotland Policy Statement.

The statutory listing address is the legal part of the listing. The information in the listed building record gives an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building(s). It is not a definitive historical account or a complete description of the building(s). The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

Listing covers both the exterior and the interior. Listing can cover structures not mentioned which are part of the curtilage of the building, such as boundary walls, gates, gatepiers, ancillary buildings etc. The planning authority is responsible for advising on what is covered by the listing including the curtilage of a listed building. For information about curtilage see www.historicenvironment.scot. Since 1 October 2015 we have been able to exclude items from a listing. If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the Historic Environment Scotland Act 2014. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect current legislation.

If you want to alter, extend or demolish a listed building you need to contact your planning authority to see if you need listed building consent. The planning authority is the main point of contact for all applications for listed building consent.